Canon Courts a Younger Audience With This Captivating Film About a Story-Filled Life

Campaign Also Includes Video Series With Zoe Kravitz

By Alexandra Jardine.Published on May 18, 2017

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Canon is courting a new and younger audience in a campaign designed to reposition its brand across Europe, with the tagline 'Live for the Story."

The first work by VCCP, appointed Canon Europe's lead agency late last year, seems designed to appeal to the smartphone generation, who are all about capturing experiences via photography.

It kicks off with visually stunning TV and cinema spot (seen here) that focuses not on photographing occasions like birthdays, but on wild and unusual experiences. The ad, directed by Megaforce through Riff Raff Films, is set to the track "Doin' Me" by Mikey Mike. It potrays a child starting to walk, who then morphsinto a bike-riding boy and becomes an adventurous young man who enjoys thrill-seeking escapades like waterslides and chasing wild horses. Wherever he goes, the dark landscape around him lights up as if lit by a camera flash.

As part of the repositioning, Canon is also launching a social media campaign, in which it's seeking a winner to travel the world for 365 days taking photographic stories. An online film, "365 Days of Summer," stars actress Zoe Kravitz and has the look and feel of a fashion film. It encourages fans to share their stories of summer using the hashtag #LiveForTheStory for a chance to win the trip.

There are also press ads containing striking images that are designed to intrigue viewers to want to know more about the story behind the picture.

Prior to appointing VCCP, Canon's previous European marketing, via JWT London, centered around the tagline "Come and See," with beautifully shot films from the likes of directors such as Jonathan Glazer.

Lee Bonniface, Canon's senior director CIG Marketing, commented in a statement: "Remaining relevant in an industry that is constantly shifting and evolving is exciting, and something we are embracing to enable us to reach a younger audience. Here at Canon we offer so much more than just photography. We print memories, we save memories and we help to make memories with apps such as Lifecake. Experiences are what matters and this is where our focus is. 'Live for the story' has been developed to inspire people to do just that. Through every element of Canon's repositioning we are encouraging people to be ready to capture stories they are creating every day."